Law Officers' Advice to Government: Disclosure

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether responsibility for deciding whether to publish the opinion given to the Government by the Attorney-General on the legality of the invasion of Iraq is that of the Attorney-General or that of government.

Baroness Amos: Any decision to disclose legal advice provided by the Law Officers to the Government would be taken by the Government with the consent of the Law Officers, in accordance with paragraph 24 of the Ministerial Code.
	There is a strong public interest in maintaining the confidentiality of Law Officers' advice. This is why there is a long-standing convention, adhered to by successive Governments and reflected in paragraph 24 of the Ministerial Code, that neither the fact that the Law Officers have advised on a particular matter, nor the substance of any advice they may have given is publicly disclosed. The purpose of the convention is to enable the Government to obtain frank and full legal advice in confidence. This is in the public interest so that governments take full and frank legal advice and act in accordance with the rule of law.

Law Officers' Advice to Government: Disclosure

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they consider that the public disclosure of the opinions given to them by the Attorney-General about the legality of the invasion of Iraq would harm the public interest; and, if so, what harm they consider would arise.

Baroness Amos: There is a strong public interest in maintaining the confidentiality of Law Officers' advice. This is why there is a long-standing convention, adhered to by successive governments and reflected in paragraph 24 of the Ministerial Code, that neither the fact that the Law Officers have advised on a particular matter, nor the substance of any advice they may have given is publicly disclosed. The purpose of the convention is to enable the Government to obtain frank and full legal advice in confidence. This is in the public interest so that governments take full and frank legal advice and act in accordance with the rule of law.

Law Officers' Advice to Government: Disclosure

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they intend the terms of reference of the inquiry under the chairmanship of Lord Butler of Brockwell to include (a) instructions given by them to the Attorney-General; (b) the Attorney-General's advice on the legality of the invasion of Iraq; and (c) the use made by the Government of the Attorney-General's advice.

Baroness Amos: The Government intend the Review of Intelligence on Weapons of Mass Destruction chaired by Lord Butler of Brockwell to inquire into the matters referred to in their terms of reference, which have been published.
	My right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary set out the terms of reference for Lord Butler's review on 3 February 2004 (Official Report, cols. 625–28). It is for Lord Butler to determine, within those terms of reference, the scope of his report.

Northern Ireland Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure: Cultural and Linguistic Diversity Funding

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the Northern Ireland Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure has since 2000 put funding in place for cultural diversity and linguistic diversity from its budgets; if so, to whom the funding was made available; how much was made available; and how much funding can be identified as for Irish or Ulster-Scots purposes.

Baroness Amos: Since 2000 DCAL has put the following funding in place for cultural diversity and linguistic diversity:
	
		
			  Amount Made available to 
			 2000–01 2,345,000  
			   Foras Na Gaeilge 
			   Ulster-Scots Agency 
			   Iomairt Cholm Cille (ICC) 
			  
			 2001–02 3,327,500  
			   Foras Na Gaeilge 
			   Ulster-Scots Agency 
			   Arts Council NI 
			   Ultach Trust 
			   ICC 
			   Apprentice Boys of Derry 
			   Old Museum Arts 
			   Tinderbox 
			   E. Tyrone (Marshalling training) 
			   Young at Art 
			   Football in the Community 
			   Queen's Film Theatre 
			   The Gathering 
			   Cineversity 
			   Down Community Arts 
			   Lisburn Development Organisation 
			  
			 2002–03 4,233,000  
			   Foras Na Gaeilge 
			   Ulster-Scots Agency 
			   ICC 
			   Armagh City and District Council 
			   BDS Community Association 
			   Best Cellars Music Collective 
			   Oi-Kwan Womens Group 
			   Replay Productions 
			   Spamount and District Cross Community 
			   Travellers Movement 
			   The Cathedral Quarter Arts 
			   The Nerve Centre 
			   Apprentice Boys 
			   Football in the Community 
			   Tinderbox 
			   Young at Art 
			   Ballynafeigh Community 
			   Development Association 
			   Altnaveigh House Cultural Society 
			   PUL 
			   Rhythm in the City 
			  
			 2003–04 5,266,000  
			   Foras Na Gaeilge 
			   Ulster-Scots Agency 
			   ICC 
			   Apprentice Boys 
		
	
	Of this funding, approximately £3,900,500 was made available to organisations that could be considered to have some Ulster-Scots language or cultural dimension, and £10,998,500 was made available to organisations that could be considered to have an Irish language or cultural dimension.

Belfast Education and Library Board:School Funding Formula

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether it is possible for the Belfast Education and Library Board to modify the funding formula set by the Education Department for each school.

Baroness Amos: Yes. The funding formula is set by the Belfast Education and Library Board and is published by the board in its local management of schools (LMS) scheme. Where a board wishes to make a replacement scheme or make a significant variation of a previous scheme, it must consult the board of governors of every school covered by its existing scheme and the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools (CCMS) before finalising the replacement or variation scheme. Following consultation, it must be submitted to the department for approval.

Government and Judiciary

Lord Windlesham: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will publish the concordat between the Lord Chancellor and the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales on the framework for the future relationship between the Government and the judiciary.

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: I made a Statement to the House on 26 January 2004 setting out the Government's proposals relating to the transfer of the Lord Chancellor's judiciary-related functions. An explanatory document giving more detail was placed in the Libraries of both Houses titled Constitutional Reform, The Lord Chancellor's judiciary-related functions: Proposals. This document has subsequently been referred to as the concordat. Copies are available in both Houses and also on the Department for Constitutional Affairs website at http://www.dca.gov.uk/consult/lcoffice/judiciary.htm

Iraq: Legal Advice

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When they first sought legal advice about the legality of an invasion of Iraq.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: It is not the practice to disclose when and whether any particular legal advice was sought or given, and if so by whom, on specific occasions. Information concerning government legal advice is exempt from disclosure under exemptions 2 and 4(d) of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Afghanistan: Prisoners

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many prisoners are being held in Afghanistan at (a) Bagram airbase, and (b) Jowzjan Prison; under what legal authority they are held; whether their individual status is being considered by a competent tribunal as required by the Geneva Convention; whether charges of war or other crimes are being brought in any case; and, if so, how many.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: Around 150 prisoners are being held at Bagram, and fewer than 1,000 prisoners are being held at Jowzjan (also known as Sherbergan). The prisoners at Bagram are being held under the authority of the United States and those in Jowzjan under the authority of the Afghan Ministry of Justice. In both cases prisoners are held under Article 3 of the Geneva Convention. Their individual status is not being considered by a competent tribunal. Charges for war crimes or other crimes have not, to date, been brought against any of the detainees.

Small Arms

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will take steps in intergovernmental fora to establish the best means for preventing Russian exports and existing stocks of small arms from falling into irresponsible hands; and what is their response to the 2003 report on this matter by Saferworld and others.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: Improved international export controls are key to preventing small arms falling into irresponsible hands. The UK is working through its transfer controls initiative to build global consensus on such controls for small arms and with key states on concrete improvements to their controls. We are engaged with Russia and other countries of the former Soviet Union on this issue in intergovernmental fora including the UN, G8, the Wassenaar arrangement and the OSCE, as well as bilaterally.
	Russia has signed up to the OSCE's small arms and light weapons (SALW) document which requires the adoption of a series of principles to improve national controls over the export of SALW and for states to exchange information on legislation and current practice on export policy and procedures. Russia is also party to the Wassenaar arrangement's Best Practice Guidelines in the Exports of SALW that the UK was instrumental in securing in December 2002.
	The 2003 report, Beyond the Kalashnikov is a balanced report and has been a helpful development in SALW transparency for the region. The report is available on the Small Arms Survey website: www.smallarmssurvey.org/OPs/OP10RussianFederation.pdf.

Iraq: Basra Airport

Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When Basra Airport will be open to commercial traffic.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The Iraqi Ministry of Transport and the Coalition Provisional Authority are considering reconstruction and investment at a number of airports in Iraq, including Basra. Basra Airport will open to commercial aviation as soon as it is practical to do so.

Literacy

Lord Acton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the statement by the Baroness Ashton of Upholland on 23 February regarding benefits of mentoring at the Shannon Trust (HL Deb, col. 3), whether they intend to foster such mentoring throughout the prison service.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Mentoring and peer support have an important part to play in improving offenders' learning and skills. The Prison Service runs a range of peer support schemes in literacy and numeracy. In addition to the approach favoured by the Shannon Trust, other initiatives include the Link Up project (funded by the DfES and delivered by the Basic Skills Agency) which trains prisoners, prison officers and staff from other agencies to become adult learner supporters and the Reading Champions scheme (run by the National Literacy Trust) which has also been extremely popular among prisoners.
	It will be up to prison governors to consider whether greater use of such programmes will help to engage those who lack confidence or are put off by traditional approaches to learning, and provide them with the opportunity to gain accredited skills, based on expert advice from their head of learning and skills.

Parole

Lord Hayhoe: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether it is a requirement for parole to be granted for the prisoner to admit the offence and to take part in a rehabilitation course; and, if not, how many prisoners have been granted parole without meeting these conditions in the year for which figures are available.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: There is no rule or policy which prevents a prisoner who denies his or her guilt from progressing through the system, or being released on parole licence. Nor is there a requirement to participate in a rehabilitation course. Such prisoners may be granted parole if their risk is assessed as having been reduced to a level that is compatible with the protection of public safety.
	Information on the number of prisoners applying for parole and who deny their guilt is not centrally recorded by the Prison Service and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. However, as from January 2003, the Parole Board began to collate such data and for the period January to June 2003, in 34 per cent of cases, where prisoners maintained their innocence, parole was granted. Information is not held centrally on how many of these prisoners undertook interventions to address their offending behaviour.

Iraq: Unexploded Ordnance

The Earl of Sandwich: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many casualties, both military and civilian, have occurred in Iraq as a result of unexploded ordnance such as missiles, cluster bomblets or other sub-munitions; and what assistance they are giving to agencies carrying out surveys or clearance of such ordnance.

Lord Bach: Unexploded ordnance in Iraq includes munitions from the Iran-Iraq war as well as mines laid by Iraqi forces, ordnance fired or dropped by both sides during recent hostilities and stores of ammunition and other ordnance left by Iraqi military and paramilitary forces.
	United Kingdom forces have suffered one fatality from unexploded ordnance. We are not in a position to comment on casualties suffered by other members of the coalition. We have no reliable means of ascertaining the number of civilians killed or injured by unexploded ordnance since the end of the conflict.
	Commercial demining organisations are currently working to clear unexploded ordnance in Iraq and UK forces are sharing information and co-ordinating clearance work as required.

Iraq: UK and US Counter-insurgency and Counter-terrorism Training

Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What training assistance has been given by HM forces to United States military personnel in respect of counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism missions in Iraq.

Lord Bach: The United Kingdom and United States forces exchange a wide range of training techniques on a regular basis as part of their close operational relationship. Counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism skills are included in this exchange. Recent examples have included search training, techniques to support operations in built up areas and maritime interdiction/boarding techniques.

Ministry of Defence Police:Aggravated Trespass

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether, in view of the acquittal of the defendant in Regina v Lindis Percy at Cirencester Magistrates' Court, on 4 March, they will give additional training to Ministry of Defence police on the identification of the acts specified in Section 68(1)(a) to (c) of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, so that prosecutions are not brought against people who trespass on land without committing those acts.

Lord Bach: It is not necessary to give additional training to the Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) as MDP officers fully understood the law in relation to aggravated trespass. The question of prosecution is, of course, a matter for the Crown Prosecution Service.

RAF Harrier GR7 Aircraft

Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What air defence exercises have been undertaken by Harrier GR7 aircraft operating from carriers in the past two years.

Lord Bach: RAF Harrier GR7 aircraft have exercised from aircraft carriers four times in the last two years although not in the air defence role.

Iraq: Khamisiyah

Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will place in the Library of the House copies of the letters sent by the Ministry of Defence to Members of Parliament and Members of the House of Lords pursuant to Answers to Parliamentary Questions about British troops who could have been affected by fall-out from the destruction by United States forces of the Iraqi stockpile of chemical weapons at Khamisiyah in southern Iraq in 1991.

Lord Bach: Yes. Parliamentary Questions (PQs) have been tabled on Khamisiyah since at least 1996, and I have asked officials to ensure that a copy of all letters written pursuant to these PQs have been deposited in the Library of the House as soon as possible.

Iraq: Khamisiyah

Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Why, and on what dates, the Ministry of Defence's original estimate of the number of British troops who could have been affected by fall-out from destruction by United States forces of the Iraqi stockpile of chemical weapons at Khamisiyah in southern Iraq in 1991 has varied since the stockpile was destroyed.

Lord Bach: In 1996, based on information provided by the United States authorities, it was initially concluded that no British units would have been affected by the demolition of chemical agents at Khamisiyah. From July 1997, following more detailed analysis by the US authorities, it became clear that British forces could have been exposed to low levels of chemical agents. As a result, the Ministry of Defence reviewed the US modelling work and published a paper in December 1999 titled, Review of Events Concerning 32 Field Hospital and the Release of Nerve Agent Arising From US Demolition of Iraqi Munitions at the Khamisiyah Depot In March 1991 which can be found at: www.mod.uk/issues/gulfwar/info/medical/khamisiyah.htm. The paper concluded that up to 9,000 British troops could have been within the modelled plume but that the possible level of nerve agent exposure would have no detectable effect on human health, in either the short or long term.
	Further modelling work has been carried out in the US and was published in 2002. The US General Accounting Office is publishing a report on the modelling work later this year and once the US Department of Defence has responded to this, the MoD will undertake a further assessment and make the results public.

Watchkeeper Project

Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they anticipate that the Watchkeeper project will have advanced sufficiently far by 31 March for it to be included, by reference to current criteria, in the major projects report at that date; and, if not, what steps they will take to ensure that future versions of this report will contain appropriate information about that project.

Lord Bach: Watchkeeper will be included in the major projects report 2004.

NHS: Paediatric Services

Lord Dixon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What proportion of the total amount of funding provided in the United Kingdom for diabetics has been allocated to the paediatric services in South Tyneside primary care trust.

Lord Warner: The information requested is not collected centrally. Allocations of funding for particular treatments are matters for the local primary care trust.

Smoking and Women

Lord Acton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the answer by the Lord Warner on 10 March (HL Deb, col. 1233) on the National Health Service smoking cessation services, how many women who used the services in 2002–03 failed to give up smoking.

Lord Warner: Around 33,600 (25 per cent) of the 135,000 women who set a quit date with the National Health Service Stop Smoking Services between April 2002 to March 2003 did not successfully quit smoking at four-week follow-up (based on self-report). Around 70,200 (52 per cent) had successfully quit smoking at the four-week follow-up (based on self-report), and around 31,200 (23 per cent) were lost to follow-up or the outcome was not known.

MMR Vaccine

The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether any component of the combined measles, mumps and rubella vaccine has ever been genetically modified.

Lord Warner: No component of the combined measles, mumps and rubella vaccine has been genetically modified.

Fatigue and Neurological Disorders

The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the Oxford criteria for determining fatigue states include patients with neurological disorders; and
	What neurological diseases, apart from myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome, classified by the international statistical classification of diseases and related health problems are included in the recently published World Health Organisation guide to mental and neurological health in primary care.

Lord Warner: The Department of Health was not involved in the publication of the Oxford criteria or of the World Health Organisation guide to mental and neurological health in primary care. Questions on the content of these publications should be taken up with the authors.

Disabled People: Local Authority Services

Lord Tebbit: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What services and assistance designed to assist disabled people local authorities are required by statute to give.

Lord Warner: The NHS and Community Care Act 1990 provides the legislative base for the provision of community care services, and in particular Section 47 places a duty on authorities to assess the needs of anyone who seems to them to be in need of community care arranged by the authority.
	Section 2(1) of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Person Act 1970 requires local authorities to arrange the provision of a range of services for those disabled people they consider to need them. The services which are to be provided as needed are:
	(a) practical assistance in the home;
	(b) provision, or assistance in obtaining, radio, television, library or similar recreational facilities;
	(c) lectures, games, outings or other recreational facilities outside the home, or assistance in taking advantage of educational facilities available;
	(d) facilities for, or assistance in, travelling to and from home for various purposes;
	(e) assistance in arranging adaptations to the home, or the provision of additional facilities designed to secure greater safety, comfort or convenience;
	(f) facilitating the taking of holidays;
	(g) meals, whether at home or elsewhere;
	(h) provision, or assistance in obtaining, a telephone and any special equipment needed to enable the disabled person to use it.

School Sport

Lord Moynihan: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many school sport co-ordinators and partnership development managers were employed in England for each year since 1999–2000; and how the figures break down on a regional basis.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The number of school sport co-ordinators employed in England for each academic year since 1999–2000 is as follows:
	
		
			  1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
			 East 0 0 13 42 93 
			 East Midlands 0 8 30 65 97 
			 London 0 10 26 146 196 
			 North East 0 21 55 70 110 
			 North West 0 47 83 123 183 
			 South East 0 6 31 68 129 
			 South West 0 15 65 113 145 
			 West Midlands 0 29 48 82 159 
			 Yorkshire & Humber 0 16 46 79 146 
			 Total 0 152 397 788 1,258 
		
	
	The number of partnership development managers employed in England for each academic year since 1999–2000 is as follows:
	
		
			  1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
			 East 0 0 3 7 18 
			 East Midlands 0 2 7 13 17 
			 London 0 3 7 30 37 
			 North East 0 4 11 14 20 
			 North West 0 9 16 23 31 
			 South East 0 1 6 12 24 
			 South West 0 3 11 19 24 
			 West Midlands 0 6 10 14 25 
			 Yorkshire & Humber 0 3 9 16 26 
			 Total 0 31 80 148 222

Child Trust Funds Bill

Lord MacGregor of Pulham Market: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the statement by Lord McIntosh of Haringey on 26 February (HL Deb, col. 378), whether they will provide a breakdown of the £90 million start-up costs of the Child Trust Funds Bill.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The estimated start-up costs for the period 2003–04 to 2006–07 will cover around £56 million for IT costs and around £34 million for other administrative costs.

Private Finance Initiative

Baroness Noakes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the statement by the Lord McIntosh of Haringey on 10 March 2004 (HL Deb col. 1278) that 57 per cent of private finance initiative projects are on the balance sheet, whether they will identify:
	(a) these projects, showing the amount for each that was on the balance sheet at the end of 2002–03 or is expected to be on the balance sheet at the end of 2003–04; and
	(b) those private finance initiative projects which comprise the 43 per cent of projects that are not on the balance sheet.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: Where the assets constructed under PFI contracts are reported on departmental balance sheets, the value reported is the full and fair value of the assets concerned.
	The estimated capital value of signed PFI contracts where capital assets are accounted for on departmental balance sheets is £20.2 billion. This represents 57 per cent of the total estimated capital value. Those PFI contracts where the assets concerned are on departmental balance sheets are reported in departmental accounts.
	A list of all PFI contracts signed to July 2003 is available on the HM Treasury public website at: http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/documents/ public–private–partnerships/ppp pfi stats.cfm

Sport: Lottery Funding

Lord Dixon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What was the National Lottery expenditure on sport, in each year since 1993–94, in (a) South Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council; (b) Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council; (c) North Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council; (d) Newcastle Metropolitan Borough Council; and (e) Sunderland Metropolitan Borough Council.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The table shows how much lottery funding went to each local authority area for sport in each calendar year from 1995. These numbers are derived from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's database of lottery awards, which is based on information supplied by the lottery distributing bodies.
	
		
			  Gateshead Newcastle upon Tyne North Tyneside South Tyneside Sunderland Yearly Total 
			 1995 £555,079 £500,500 £6,629,015 £107,420 £672,450 £8,464,464 
			 1996 £342,201 £570,500 £0 £19,496 £0 £932,197 
			 1997 £400,852 £0 £11,500 £27,489 £1,225,502 £1,665,343 
			 1998 £326,166 £9,242,540 £1,792,877 £0 £0 £11,361,583 
			 1999 £51,731 £507,633 £2,220,140 £6,900 £5,018,592 £7,804,996 
			 2000 £221,221 £643,271 £102,310 £54,878 £2,023,408 £3,045,088 
			 2001 £1,799,493 £2,934,935 £397,483 £412,073 £370,671 £5,914,655 
			 2002 £190,605 £835,387 £11,740 £564,754 £726,057 £2,328,543 
			 2003 £0 £1,280,612 £0 £0 £50,000 £1,330,612 
			 2004 £0 £0 £0 £0 £0 £0 
			 LA TOTAL £3,887,348 £16,515,378 £11,165,065 £1,193,010 £10,086,680 £42,847,481

Sport: Lottery Funding

Lord Dixon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What proportion of the total National Lottery expenditure on sport was allocated to the Tyne and Wear area in each year since 1993–94.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The table shows, by calendar year, what proportion of all lottery sports funding in the UK went to the County of Tyne and Wear, since the start of the lottery.
	
		
			 Year % of all Lottery sports funding in Tyne and Wear 
			 1995 7.47 
			 1996 0.65 
			 1997 0.80 
			 1998 4.41 
			 1999 2.45 
			 2000 0.83 
			 2001 1.28 
			 2002 0.75 
			 2003 1.22 
			 2004 0 
			 Average 1.99 
		
	
	These numbers are for each calendar year and are derived from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's database of lottery awards, which is based on information supplied by the lottery distributing bodies.

Community Amateur Sports Clubs

Lord Moynihan: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is their marketing budget for encouraging sports clubs to apply for community amateur sports club status.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: Neither the Department for Culture, Media and Sport nor the Inland Revenue has a defined marketing budget for this purpose.
	Last autumn, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Inland Revenue organised, with the assistance of the Central Council of Physical Recreation, Deloitte & Touche and Bates, Wells & Braithwaite a series of regional seminars for sports clubs, that promoted awareness of, and provided advice about, the community amateur sports club scheme. Over 700 representatives from sports clubs, sports governing bodies and local authorities attended these seminars.
	The Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Inland Revenue and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister continue to promote the scheme through engagement with the sporting national governing bodies and local authorities.

Pesticides

The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will place in the Library of the House a list of the recipients of the Pesticides Safety Directorate's Questionnaire survey on the possible effects of pesticides on human health, and the responses received; and which companies failed to submit a response.

Lord Whitty: The Pesticide Safety Directorate is carrying out this exercise to seek reassurance that any possible adverse human health effects of pesticides are being reported fully by the agrochemical industry. This activity is ongoing currently and there are no plans to place any of the above information in the Library of the House at this time.

Wild Birds

Baroness Byford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Minister of State for Environment and Agri-Environment on 13 November 2003 (HC Deb, 417W) on wild bird imports, why in 2002 10,058 parrots were brought in out of a total of 25,531 for the five years 1998 to 2002; and why the figures for other wild-caught birds has risen each year since 1998, with a four-fold increase between 2001 and 2002.

Lord Whitty: Levels of trade in wildlife vary, and are driven by many factors including market forces, supply and demand, changing policies of various governments and by actions taken as a result of international agreements such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
	I am not aware that there was any particular reason why trade was greater in 2002 than in other years or why trade in particular species has increased in general over recent years.

Pig Swill

Baroness Byford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many individuals were granted official approval to process and feed swill to pigs under Article 25 of the Animal By-Products Order 1999 (S.I. 1999/646).

Lord Whitty: At the time of the ban there were 74 people that were approved under Article 22 to process swill and 93 who were approved under Article 26 to feed swill to their pigs. Article 25 provided for the approval of persons to consign swill from their holding. The number of people who were approved to consign swill is not held centrally.

Common Agricultural Policy:Cross-compliance

Baroness Byford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When the cross-compliance consultation on the common agricultural policy payments scheme will begin; over what period of time it will run; and when they will respond to the consultation exercise.

Lord Whitty: I anticipate that the consultation on cross-compliance measures in England will be announced shortly and will run through the spring. Ministers will make decisions as soon as possible after considering the consultation responses.